Indian-American panel launches campaign against hate crimes

Washington, March 14 (IANS) Chicago-based Indian-American Public Affairs Committee (IAPAC) has launched a campaign across the US to spread awareness about hate crimes against the community.

The committee plans to organise a series of grassroot events and town halls across the country, American Bazaar Online reported on Tuesday.

“There is a need to bring understanding about the people of Indian-American and represent their interests,” Ashwani Dhall, one of the founding members of IAPAC, said in a statement.

The committee plans to highlight how Indian-Americans have been an intrinsic part of the American fabric and will also ask different state governments and cities to announce Indian-American awareness month.

“By bringing together elected officials, local and business leaders and the media, the aim is to assure Indian-American community that incidents like the hate-crime in Kansas City are not tolerated or repeated,” the statement read.

IAPAC will also organize events in San Francisco Bay Area, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle as part of the campaign. It wants to ensure that correct information, not rumors, on existing policies is disseminated to people, according to the statement.

“It was heartening to hear [President] Trump denounce the Kansas City incident right at the start of his address to the Congress,” IAPAC president Vinesh Virani said.

“We have hope that the current administration will work to bring everyone together,” he said.